Jail on child porn images
50,000 images, 251 movies, 207 bestiality movies on computer
A BRUNY Island man will serve four months in jail after he was found to have about 50,000 images and 251 movies depicting child pornography, and 207 adult bestiality movies.
The Supreme Court in Hobart heard Craig Andrew Leaman, 46, downloaded the images and videos between 2008 and 2017.
“Child pornography is treated as very serious criminal conduct because it involves exploitation and corruption of children,” said Justice Robert Pearce, who sentenced Leaman on Thursday.
Justice Pearce said the number of images Leaman downloaded was “relatively high”.
The court heard police searched Leaman’s home and charged him in March last year.
He later pleaded guilty to accessing and possessing child exploitation material and possessing a bestiality product.
Justice Pearce said the “vast majority” of child pornography images found on Leaman’s computer were in the least serious category and a small number were animation or cartoons.
Of the movies, Justice Pearce said most were in the least serious category but about a third were in the more serious categories.
Justice Pearce said that Leaman had no relevant prior convictions.
The court heard that a car accident in 2004 left Leaman with a permanent brain injury that affects his memory and concentration, and inclined him to disinhibited behaviour.
“He began to heavily abuse alcohol, the effect of which is to magnify the effects of the brain injury,” Justice Pearce said.
“When interviewed, he told the police that he was generally intoxicated when he searched for and downloaded pornography.”
Justice Pearce said Leaman did not claim any reduction in his criminal culpability because of his brain injury.
He said that Leaman had demonstrated some rehabilitation, including reducing his alcohol consumption, not replacing his computers after they were seized and had not reoffended.
Justice Pearce sentenced Leaman to a year in prison with the final eight months suspended for three years.